Normality in Flux
Disclaimer: The timeline of this Pokemon World is 25 years after Red conquered the Indigo League at 10 years old. A new law was passed in recent years that the age to officially become a Pokemon Trainer is now 15 years of age. The tradition of still receiving your starter Pokemon is still available to children from the age of ten onwards at special coordinated events but trainers are not allowed to participate in official Pokemon League battles until they are at least 15 years of age.
Our story begins following our intrepid hero Max Larkin as he is at work at a Pokemon daycare facility just outside Cerulean City.
"Maxwell, you're fired." the old woman sitting before me said with her eyes closed and arms crossed. Veruca Pennywater had run 'The Pennywater Daycare and Spa' for the past forty-six years and Max knew there was no changing her mind. The building was located outside Cerulean CIty, a good half hour walk from the base of Mount Moon. Veruca was never one to shy away from a difficult decision. When she had made a decision, everyone knew she had thought long and hard about it but most importantly, that it was final.
I tried to wrap my head around why she was telling me this. I had been an ideal worker who was flexible with the hours I could work, I always arrived for on time or early and usually left late. I had excellent rapport with my co-workers. The clients and their Pokemon loved me. I wanted to get upset. I wanted to cry. I wanted to not feel confused. Most of all, I just wanted an answer. "Why…?" I said through slowly grinding teeth.
She opened her piercing blue eyes. "Snap out of it Maxwell, you're better than that." I relaxed my body slightly but was still upset. Old Lady Veruca turned around, stood up and gently nudged the candle behind her. The flame upon the candle started to grow brighter and changed from orange to violet and a face revealed itself on the candle. "Nightbright, would you be so kind as to heat up the kettle, Max and I are going to have some tea and... chat." I didn't like how she drew out the last word longer than it needed to be. The candle was of course a Pokemon. Litwick was just one of the hundred or so happy and helpful Pokemon Veruca owned that roamed around her building. It hopped over a few paces and leaned to place it's flame at the base of the kettle which was on a small elevated black stand.
"I just don't understand what I have done wrong to deserve this." I finally mustered. The kettle was moved from the stand and Litwick returned to its original position.
"Thank you Litwick." The old woman said, and placed teabags in two separate teacups. Litwick hopped back and returned to looking like a regular candle, orange flame and no face. "Would you like sugar or cream in your tea?"
"Um, … no… Thanks. You didn't answer my question though." I said somewhat calmly, and then took a sip of the tea. It was alright. A flavour of tea I couldn't recall but I knew I didn't like it. She knew I wasn't much of a tea drinker.
Veruca took a big sip of her tea and set it down on a small white coaster, spilling a few drops. "Woops." She cleaned it up quickly with a napkin and set it aside. "Okay Max. Don't be upset."
"I'm calmer now, you just blindsided me with this and I still don't understand!" I noticed my fists were clenched and I loosened them. Luckily they weren't in her view, obscured by the desk.
"You know Johnathan? Our night cleaner?" She took a small sip of her tea but kept her eyes locked on mine.
"Yes."
"Johnathan was doing his job, as he does, and while he was shredding documents he noticed an application of yours. It was fully filled out with an attached essay." She finished her tea and set her cup aside, clasping her hands together.
"So you found out I had been looking for other opportunities and you're firing me for it?!" I said with some fire behind my voice.
She smiled. "I sent it in for you my dear." That took a few moments to sink in. I was stunned and a little confused. Veruca opened a drawer and pulled out a large orange envelope and slid it towards me. "You made it in."
"Wha- what?!"
"I haven't opened it but I added a personal letter of recommendation, I just know you've made it in." She sighed a little with a small smile and leaned back in her chair. This must have been hard for her, even though she never would really show it.
I had applied for a Pokemon Field Researcher position. Not as an intern or as a junior associate but a fully fledged researcher. I wanted to be out there in the big wide world, discovering new and interesting facts about Pokemon behaviours, how ecosystems are affected, natural habitats of Pokemon and how they co-exist with one another. I also had a personal, selfish reason to take this job. My first year contract would have me travel all over the Kanto region and I would be able to participate in gym battles in my free time. Not only would I be provided with a top of the line Pokedex with all the bells and whistles but I would have a budget for supplies in caring for both wild pokemon and my own. They were enticing applicants by encouraging them to capture as many Pokemon as possible so their team would be able to carry out research in a state of the art sanctuary created just for their Pokemon specifically. "Thank you Veruca," was all I could muster.
"Open the damn thing!" Veruca shouted excitedly. The coat rack behind her jumped when she shouted and turned around. It was her imitation Pokemon - Sudowoodo, who dipped its head down to see over Veruca's shoulder. I opened it up hastily and the first words I read were 'Congratulations.'
"You were right! I got in!" I said slowly in a low voice. Tears began to form in Veruca's eyes but she wiped the maway instantly and gained her composure.
"Maxwell… No - Max. You deserve it. You're a good kid with a bright future ahead of you. I am going to miss my number one move tutor and egg hatcher. You've trained Krissy well though. Her ego is going to get even bigger when she gets the promotion…" I was too ecstatic to care about that up and comer Krissy. I could hardly sit still and Veruca could tell. "You're done for today Max. Go home and celebrate with your family." She had already started walking around her desk and she motioned for a hug. Veruca never gave hugs. She was a firm handshake kind of person and that was it.
"I'm going to miss you and this place so much." I said as we embraced. Sudowoodo and Litwick decided to join in on the hug. I guess they didn't see this kind of affection often either but they understood it would slide on this occasion.
"We will still be here when you come through and visit." Her smile faded slightly and said. "Goodbye Max."
The sun was beginning to set as I left my old place of employment. Veruca's Daycare and Spa had a big sign with several Pokemon looking cute on the left hand side and a bunch of fully evolved, fierce looking Pokemon on the right. I personally always loved how tough the Tyranitar looked, towering over the rest. I reached into my interior jacket pocket and unclasped the only two Pokeballs in there. "Sovereign, Zaxo, come on out! I have great news!" the Pokeballs grew to their regular size at the push of the white button in the center and out came a large majestic white fox with nine beautiful tails and a small red bird with a black beak and black with yellow tipped wings. The air always seemed to get a bit chilly when Sovereign, my Alolan Ninetales was out but she could turn that on and off at will. Luckily Zaxo, my Fletchinder, would always rest on my shoulder, head or backpack and keep me comfortably warm. It was an odd balance but worked out.
"Nine-Tales!" she said with a smile. She lowered her body so that I could hop on and Zaxo decided to fly alongside us tonight. Sovereign began sprinting towards our home with Zaxo keeping pace easily.
"Remember that job that I spent all those weeks writing in my room at night?"
"Tales. Tales-Tales." she was able to say under the panting from running. Zaxo landed on Sovereign's back facing me and chirped in acknowledgement.
"Well guys, I never mustered the courage to send it out cause I didn't want to leave my dad in his condition but Old Lady Veruca sent it in for me and I actually was accepted!" I paused. They were both so happy for me but the realization of facing my father knocked my excitement levels down a peg. "How am I going to convince my dad to let me leave." I sprawled out on Sovereign's back, hugging with my arms and legs to stay on. His fur was so soft and cool, like when you turn a pillow over at night. We would be home soon.
A few minutes later we crested the hill and the first few buildings of Cerulean started popping up. The lights of the ever growing city grew brighter and Sovereign slowed his pace. He lowered to the ground again and I hopped off. I had to watch for cars and bikes and walk on the sidewalk path. One of the more recent renovations to Cerulean City was the new waterways beside every walkway so that water Pokemon could freely swim beside their trainers if they wished to do so. I mean a Wailord would never fit but most could. A few folks waved when they saw us. It wasn't me who was recognizable but that guy with the Alolan Ninetales. I waved back and when they were gone I recalled Sovereign to his Pokeball. Zaxo rested on my head as we entered our apartment building. We lived on the 17th floor and Zaxo didn't feel like beating the elevator in a race today.
"You're home early," my dad said, as he wheeled himself from the living room. His Haunter could be seen in the kitchen behind him cooking food on the stove. My dad's name was Vincent. He was an older gentleman, slightly balding at the front but had thick black hair where it still grew. He was known for his bushy mustache and quick wits. I was too young to remember at the time but he used to be an amazing comedic magician. Unfortunately on a trip with my mother, their plane was brought down in a thunderstorm and there were only eight survivors out of eighty-five. My mother did not make it and my father had been permanently injured. We had survived off of his royalties from the recordings of his shows for awhile before I began helping out at Veruca's when I turned fourteen. That was three years ago. Three years I had put into the daycare. "Hello?"
My dad was waving a hand in front of my face and I snapped out of it. "Hey dad. I have to tell you something…" His face did a half smile. He was acting strangely.
"I know you got accepted today to that fancy research facility outside Saffron. Veruca called me today." He looked like he wanted to get out of the chair so badly to hug me. Tears welled up in his eyes. "She told me that you weren't going to go through with it but she nudged your application in the right direction. Arceus bless that woman." He pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his nose. "You didn't send it because of me, didn't you?"
"No dad it wasn't just that…" I started. He wheeled right up to me and Zaxo flew from my head into his lap and nestled there, closing his eyes. My dad reached out with his arms and I knelt down to give him a big hug.
"I'll be okay son. That angelic woman sent a Pokemon to me today to help me around the house. It was gifted to me from her personal collection, no trade necessary!" He reached into his pocket and pulled a small blue Pokeball with red accents on each side. "A delivery man dropped it off an hour ago. In this great ball is supposed to be a Pokemon that will probably do more housework than you ever did."
"Hey!" I said. Zaxo started laughing in his bird way, eyes still happily closed. "Do you know what it is?"
"Nope, wanted to share this moment with you. You're not going to be around as often you know?" I fought back a tear of my own and stood up. I hadn't been this emotional since mom's funeral seven years ago.
"Show me your new Pokemon dad!" and with that he threw the pokeball and it bounced off the ground once before erupting into a bright white light. The light began to form into a large oval shape with small arms and legs. Then two floppy large blue ears appeared. I think I remembered this Pokemon because I hatched her from an egg as a little Azurill. She was a tough little thing and I had decided to teach her Iron Tail which she used to great effect in our training battles at the daycare. I thought the trainer who had the parent Pokemon claimed her a long time ago.
"Azumarril!" she exclaimed. She bowed before my father and then looked at me. I swear she regressed to that little Azurill for a second, because she attempted to jump into my arms as she first did as a baby. She barreled me over.
"Hey! Get off of him! Ummm… what's your name. I saw it written here…" my dad said reaching for a letter in the small cardboard box the great ball came in.
"Rose! It is you!" I couldn't help but laugh. This day had been so average to start and had become life changing before dinner. Rose leapt back and grabbed her tail. She surveyed the space around her and then started spinning her tail. It began to emit a silver light. "You still know Iron Tail! That's amazing!" She caught her tail's end and stopped the attack. She puffed out her chest, very proud of herself. "I don't leave for Saffron until tomorrow night, I could teach you another move if you'd like?" Her eyes lit up and she put her hands together, nodding. "Alright, tomorrow then."
We spent the rest of the night all having a good time. It would have been an interesting picture if we had thought to take one. A middle aged man in a wheelchair, skinny teenager, Alolan Ninetales, Fletchinder, Haunter, Azumarill, and my dad's other Pokemon, originally my mother's: Zorua. The next day arrived all too quickly. I spent the morning teaching Rose how to use Liquidation, one of the more recent moves I had learned how to teach from a seminar I attended a month ago in Vermillion City. Rose learned it within a few hours, she was very receptive to learning. It made me wonder what her battle level had become in the year or so since he had seen her. Maybe Veruca saw the talent in her also and kept Rose to herself. Kind of like how Veruca saw the talent in me.
"Dad you don't need to see me off at the bus station." I said as we headed to the edge of town. The time had passed rather quickly. I had put together traveling gear and everything I think I would need. Frying pan, sleeping bag, berry pouch, plenty of clothes, my good fishing rod, and some food for myself and my Pokemon. I purposely left space for anything the lab would give me.
"Nonsense my boy. We wouldn't miss this for the world." My dad and I sat at the bench for awhile in silence and eventually the bus could be seen coming in the distance. "You know you're mother would have been proud of you no matter what you decided to do in life, right?" He was trying to hold it together. "I only mean in the case that this doesn't work out or anything."
"I know dad."
"Promise you'll be safe and make good choices."
"Are we really doing this?"
"And if you meet any girls out there. Please -"
"Dad!"
"Just be-"
"Dad! I promise I will be a good person and my pokemon will keep me safe." He looked at me and squinted his eyes a little. "Okay, and I promise I will only bring home nice girls you would approve of. Okay, love you, bye!"
"That wasn't what I-" my dad started as the bus came to a screeching halt and the doors opened. I hugged my dad hard and then hopped up the stairs in two bounds. A very tall woman with sky blue hair was sitting at the wheel and told the only passengers aboard where they were and that they had five minutes to gather their belongings and the next stop they were heading to was Saffron City. After I gave the driver my ticket, I passed an older couple with a little girl as they were getting off the bus. The little girl had a small yellow mouse like Pokemon on her shoulder. I was pretty sure it was a Pichu although I had never seen one in person. I sat near the middle of the bus on the right side and rolled down the window.
"Take care of yourself dad! I'll miss you!" I yelled as the bus started moving.
"Give us a call from time to time! I want to hear all about the places you've been and what you're up to!"
"I will! Bye!" and with that I made myself comfortable for the long trip to Saffron.